May 11-12, 2001

Pratt Mountain Snowshoe Climb & Summit Camp

Olallie Lake
Pratt Pass
Pratt Mountain (5099 ft)

Trip Report Summary

Region: Central Washington Cascades

Sub-Region: Lower Snoqualmie Range

Area: Alpine Lakes Wilderness

Starting & Ending Point: Granite Mountain Trailhead off Interstate-90 at Exit 47 (Elev. 1900 feet)

Way Points: Granite Mountain Trail junction & Olallie Lake & Pratt Pass (trail hike & snow hike & snowshoe hike)

Summit: Pratt Mountain (snowshoe ascent & descent via South Ridge)

Campsite: Pratt Mountain summit

Approximate Stats: 11 miles traveled; 3400 feet gained & lost; 4.0 hours up; 3.0 hours down.

Related Post

>>> Granite Mtn Trail Circuit + Tuscohatchie Lake + Pratt Mtn via South Slope – August 2011

Full Trip Report

With only a Friday afternoon and Saturday morning available, Laura and I selected Pratt Mountain as our destination for a short overnight snowshoeing trip.

We started at the Pratt Lake Trailhead and quickly found ourselves overdressed for the 70-degree weather. The first 2 miles of trail was completely bare and well-maintained except for one really big log. Near the wilderness boundary, the snow began abruptly, but the trail was easy to follow around Olallie Lake and up to Pratt Pass. Both lakes were still mostly slushed over.

From the pass, we donned snowshoes and proceeded up the east ridge of Pratt Mountain. This ridge is easily ascended through light forest and requires only one short detour around a rock outcrop. The snow was soft and would have been difficult without snowshoes. We stomped out a bench on the summit (4.0 hours from TH), pitched our tent, and enjoyed the views of Mt. Rainier and the Alpine Lakes area. The weather was pleasantly warm all night, and calm too, except for a windy spell around midnight.

In the morning, we saw that this warm wind had melted several inches of snow. We hiked out without snowshoes and managed to punch through annoying snow voids only about 20 or 30 times en route to the trailhead (3.0 hours from summit).

Equipment Comments

For more information regarding the various equipment that I used for this particular trip and that I typically use for this type of trip, see my gear reviews on the following pages:

>>> Trail & Mountain Snowshoes

>>> Backcountry Ski & Snowshoe Packs

>>> Wintertime Comfort Accessories

Photo Gallery

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